So at this time last week I was embarked on a secret project and since the word is now out to all the folks I was trying to surprise (and did, in some cases :-) ), I can now share what I was doing. After 23 years of home schooling and living with dual purpose rooms, I decided it was time to treat my family to a REAL dining room, free of textbooks and calculators and microscopes and slides with...with...what was it on that glass slide? Oh yeah. Well anyway, I emptied the room, and with the help of my non-decorating-challenged daughter, I put down a new rug, hung curtains, moved shelves, and put up pictures which do NOT include parts of speech, bones, or Civil War timelines. No, these pictures are sidewalk cafes and lovely bottles of Chardonnay and fruit still lifes...the kind of things you can look at and still want to eat your dinner. Nothing really fancy here...still the same beat up old table we've had since before CJ was born, crying for refinishing...bookshelves repurposed to hold silver and linens and candles...a treasured dresser finding new life as a sideboard. But it signals a transition in our lives, one that I might just write about someday. We still have lots of school days ahead (six years, probably), but we have no more real need of a school room. So when The Papa returns this week, we will "christen" our new dining room and celebrate the beginning of a new season at Granny's House. Wish I had some "before" pictures, but those of you who live in homeschool land don't need any visuals for that. Take it from me: these pictures represent a huge change...










Speaking of new seasons, we've just seen the changing of one in the '08 election. The week provided several electrifying moments and breathless speculation, surely only a prelude to the next five months. God protect us.

This week, during all the working and driving and whatnot, I've discovered a new favorite author--Leif Enger. His novel Peace Like a River has captivated me as much for the writing as for the story itself; I'll be watching for his novels the rest of my life. The only way I would know how to describe him is as the 21st century Mark Twain.

As dependent as I've become on the internet in the past few years and as much benefit as I've derived from it, I've worried at times that all its charms might isolate us and keep us hidden in our houses, safe from dangers but also sterilized from all the richness of face-to-face interaction and ministry. I'm no longer worried that the internet will cause this. If anything brings us to a hermit-like end, it's going to be gas prices.

And the highlight of today: our Bethany is 18 today. Because she is usually behind the camera instead of its target, I can't come up with many pictures of her, but those of you who know her need no reminder of her impish smile and her winsome personality. Beth is standing on the edge of adulthood, pursuing many different interests and avenues of ministry and continuing to amaze us with the breadth of her talents. Pint-sized compared to the rest of the family, her heart and her wit can outdo all of us...

When Beth was two, I said, "Bethany, you have such a tiny little face!" She looked at me with a slight bewilderment and replied, "But it goes all the way down to my chin!"

HAPPY 18TH, BETHANY!

Labels: Books, Decorating, Kids, Political Observation, Sundays